Swiss teenager becomes second tourist to deface Rome's Colosseum in less than a month

The 17-year-old tourist was scratching the letter N on the walls while a local tour guide managed to get that on video, according to the Independent. (Image: Agenzia ANSA/Twitter)

Do you remember the video of the man who got arrested for carving out his girlfriend’s name on the walls of Rome’s Colosseum? Well, a similar case has happened again, in less than a month of that incident.

For the second time in less than a month, a Swiss teenager carved her name into the ancient monument. The 17-year-old tourist was scratching the letter N on the walls while a local tour guide managed to get that on video, according to the Independent.

The clip was captured by Italian tour guide David Battaglino, according to the New York Post. "It is the first time I have managed to film an act of vandalism at the Colosseum, but in six years I have seen dozens; there are also those who rip off parts of the wall," he told Repubblica Roma. "They even spat on me once for scolding a boy,” he added.

In a similar incident, Ivan Dimitrov, a UK-based fitness instructor, inscribed his and his fiancee’s name in the 2000-year-old amphitheatre. He carved Ivan+Hayley 23 with a key on the walls of the monument. His act sparked outrage all over the world and people condemned him for his irresponsible act.

Dimitrov apologised for defacing the Colosseum and he wrote an apology letter to Rome’s mayor mentioning that he understood the “seriousness of the deed” and was unaware about the age of the monument.